I read that giving your baby a dummy can help cause cot death but I hate the look of them. Also, isn't it hard to wean baby off them later?
What do you recommend?
Whjoopps - meant to post this in the webchat bit - will try again so please ignore this one!

[Modified by: flamenca on 28 July 2008 13:09:45 ]

hi. only 2 out of my 5 children have ever had dummies. they have all been breastfed as well. with my first i just didn't want him to have one, my second was the same. my 3rd came along and i tried him and hey presto he took to it and was very contented by it. my 4th again very contented by it. but with my 5th i tried him and he didn't take to a dummy.
when it was time to take it away santa took it at christmas and left a special gift in return, mine have never had a dummy in public after the age of 18 months or so and only at night . with my little girl she will be 3 in august and only has it at night but i take it wawy from her as soon as she wakes. and santa will again take it away for a special gift.
they are very contraversial (sp) but can sometimes help. i personally don't see a problem with them but i do hate to see a 4 - 5 year old with one stuck in their mouths.
don't be made to feel bad if you try one with your lo cause like i say they can be good. xxxx

Recent studies have shown Giving your baby a dummy can PREVENT cot death not cause it.

I am all for dummies they have been a life saver in this house and still are! : )

It's suppose to be easier to wean them off dummies at 6 months.

I think whatever suits a family whether it be giving a dummy or not is best for them and no-one's business but then people do judge don't they, so there will always be people who don't agree.

Morgana was a very colicky baby and her dummy was a godsend. It gave her some comfort, which was far more important to me than the way she looked with it. She is now 9 months old and only uses her dummy when she has trouble going to sleep, she never has it now when she is awake and she doesn't seem to miss it at all then.

Dummies are god sends and im happy my baby will take one! Ive seen mums who have been desperate to shut up a screaming baby but wont take a dummy. Everyones views are different but I think they are fab! Now my boy is 9 months old the only time he really has a dummy is at nap times and bed time.

I dont think its such a good thing when you see 3/4/5 year olds or more with dummies (Think its totally wrong and looks awful!) But I really see no harm in giving a dummy to a baby at all

I see them as a nessecary evil. I don't like the look of them and I can't stand seeing toddlers with them out and about, or seeing parents shove them in just to keep their kids quiet, BUT I think they are enourmously helpful if you have an unsettled little baby who just wants something to suck! Millie wouldn't take one but I am still open to the idea of trying Barney with one when he is windy and uncomfortable.
xx

Sometimes I wish Gabe would take a dummy. Hes completely disinterested and has started sucking his thumb instead. The good thing about no dummies is you don't have to get up to put it back in. On the rare times Gabe has had a dummy, he's spat it out when he's been asleep for about an hour & wakes himself up so your waiting with bated breath to see if they go back to sleep! x

I have to disagree with some statements slightly with some of the opinions about toddlers/3/4/5/6/yrs ect having them *and just to be a pain in the **** * but how do you know they don't have special needs? There not always obvious are they? Is that not judging before you know the full details of the child?

Should they still have one? Is it the parent/carer being lazy? Or do they not want to cause them the distress I don't want to cause mine if the child doesn't have special needs?

Our Jessica has a dummy and we use it when she has had a fit and she has come round, she will be very upset and scared and it can carry on for a few days untill she feels comfortable to 'give it up again' well for about 1hr at the moment

She also uses it when she is in a place she doesn't 'know' or we are doing something different, for example if you go on feb 08 club I've put pics of our wedding day on their and she has a dummy simple because she was distressed and it did her more good than harm imo, I'd rarther her be calm than upset and leading to a fit iyswim?

Quote:

Alex is intrested in dummies either he has a toy dog!

Point taken Joanne! I guess we'd all do better just to worry about our kids and what they are doing instead of passing judgement on everyone else :D
xx

we all judge it's normal lol

I'm currently judging DH who is intent on winding me up *pain in the ***** springs to mind along with trying to get the girls to help him he is being a pain today why won't he go do some work grr

My eldest who's 2 and half has always had a dummy and my youngest who's 11months just sucks his thumb. I dont see why some people have a problem with them. Theyre only a form of comfort after all x

dummies are fine, why do they look bad? at the end of the day a dummy is a soother to your child and will comfort him or her and yes it might be hard weaning them of but its all part of being a mum and there are a few good tricks to do it. I took my eldest on the ferry and told him the baby sharks need dummies , and told him now he is a big boy he has to give his dummies to the sharks and it was exiting for him to throw them over the boat, now if he ever asks i say the little baba sharks have them. x

my lo is 14 days old and has a dummy - it seems from what i've read that is better for thier teeth etc to have a dummy than suck thier thumb?!

yeah i totally agree with dummies always have done, xx

my son had a dummy until about 6-7 months old when we reduced it to nightime use only and then stopped it completely (as he woke up several times a night wanting it put back in !) He forgot all about dummies very quickly though.

I wish my daughter WOULD take a dummy, she was 8weeks early and is in special care and gets so upset and unsettled that I think she would get comfort from sucking but she has severe problems with sucking and gags/wretches when anything is in her mouth, it is really upsetting. We will persevere with trying her with dummies because for some babies I think they are brilliant and do bring lots of comfort.

I was advised to give Kai one as he has colic. It instantly soothed him. I intend to do the santa trick to get him off of them when he's older. I wasn't going to give him one in case i was storing up problems for myself but seeing how much it sooths him i'm glad i did.

I sucked my thumb when i was a baby and my teeth came through vertical. I had to have 2 years of brace treatment to correct them. I would much rather Kai had something that i could take away after all i can't take his thumb away.

[Modified by: SukiB+Kai on July 28, 2008 08:48 PM]

I wasnt going to use a dummy for primrose and she wouldnt even take one when she was a baby but then from 3mnths she started to like it so i carried on with it....i see there is no harm what so ever in small children having them and it does help to reduse cot death....however when primrose is 2 1/2 i will attempt to get her out of it coz i do have to admit i think it looks awfull when they are 3 and older.x

I love them. They help reduce cot death and provide a great comfort to the baby. Although I dont judge I do find it hard when you see a baby screaming away and you know theres a chance a dummy would soothe them but the parents wont give them one. A lady in my postnatal group even had to leave one session early as her lo was in such a state but she refuses to try a dummy. I cant see any real reason not to give one, other than a strange snobbery surrounding them.

I always said before Kara was born that I wasn't going to give her a dummy because I hate the look of them and also because it would be hard to get her off them. However when it came to it I gave in an give Kara one and it was a godsend when it came to teething. She is 10 months now and doesn't have it often now. She really only has it for bed and for naps. It is supposed to prevent cot death so in that way it is good.

I think me n Harry are a bit backwards! He doesn't have one at night (when i think its supposed to help the most???) But does like it in the day time.

I personally wouldn't want Harry going to nursery with his dummy still... not entirely sure why - its not that they look horrible or anything because its no worse thansucking their thumb. But i do agree with Joanne that sometimes it really is better to comfort a baby/child if there are problems such as fits!

Just out of interest are you not bothered by the dummy in the future, Joanne? Do you think you'll wean her off it at some point or let her choose whether she wants it or not?

Lucy Xxx